Sadness of Kate at hoax call suicide

THE Duchess of Cambridge said she was ''deeply saddened'' by the apparent suicide of a nurse who fell victim to a hoax during her stay in hospital.

Mother of two Jacintha Saldanha, 46, was found unconscious at her home near the hospital in central London and was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics who were unable to revive her.

Ms Saldanha, who had worked at the hospital for four years, was described as ''a first class nurse who cared diligently for hundreds of patients'' at the hospital. Her family said in a statement they were ''deeply saddened by the loss of our beloved Jacintha''.

Ms Saldanha had not faced any disciplinary action by the hospital, where managers felt that she had been the unfortunate victim of a ''deplorable'' trick. But she described herself as ''a very nervous person'' and friends said she would have been ''hit badly'' by the prank.

A spokesman for St James's Palace said the Duchess and her staff had not blamed the two nurses and had not complained to the hospital.

Ms Saldanha had previously worked at the Southmead Hospital in Bristol, where her partner, Benedict Barboza, and children still live. The nurse lived in hospital accommodation in London when she was on shift and spent the rest of her time in Bristol.

One neighbour said: ''What a terrible tragedy - just before Christmas as well. Oh those two young children - they'll be heartbroken. Her and Ben were a lovely couple, they invited us in for a curry when they moved in.''

The Telegraph, London

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